The Sons of Inu no Taisho
by SabraJane
Summary: A retelling of Kagome's adventures in Feudal Japan-stemmed from a single life circumstance switched between the two brothers and create an epic domino effect.
1. Ch1: Into the Time Slip

**Chapter 1: Into The Time Slip (With a Bit of a Mind Flip)**

The sunny forest clearing fell silent. No unusual sounds or meteorological forces had proceeded in which to cause the wildlife to pause in their day. Nor was there a reason for the continued suspension of their animation. It was as if all of nature was holding its breath in preparation for some unknown spectacle.

All at once, the smell and pressure of ozone filled the clearing; causing the smallest of creatures to run for safety in the shadow of the surrounding tress. Light flashed – but not from the sky. A normally unassuming well, that had been nestled in the middle of the clearing for as long as the local humans could remember, was now filled with an eerie, blue light. Not too unlike the crackle of lightening, the supernatural light gave off a tangible vibration that hummed in its frequency. With each second that passed, the humming grew stronger. Once it seemed to have reached its crescendo, the humming stopped and the light faded away. Silence dominated the clearing once again. Unexpectedly, the stillness was broken by a foreign noise echoing its way up the wooden structure.

"Oof!"

A long, drawn-out groan followed it. Then, the rustle and sway of the trailing vines indicated movement from within the well. Accompanied by unintelligible muttering, one hand appeared and then another – grasping at the flora in a white-knuckled grip. With a face twisted in effort, the form of a young woman was finally revealed. With a final grunt, she swung her knee up to the lip of the well and lifted herself the rest of the way out. The calm emergence of the girl from the well seemed to release the spell, as the forest came back alive – as though the events of the past several minutes had never occurred.

The sounds of birdsong greeted Kagome as she stepped onto the grass and took in her new surroundings.

_Where in the world am I?_

"Mom?! Sota?! Grandpa?! Is anyone there?!" Kagome moved through the untamed forest, looking for the slightest hint of anything familiar in such a foreign-looking place. However with no evidence of the well house, or of her familial shrine and home she was beginning to wonder if it even existed here at all.

_There is no way that this is right..._

Scanning her surroundings, Kagome's eyes widened as she suddenly spotted the hint of a beloved landmark above the tree line: The God Tree. Rushing toward it, Kagome convinced herself she'd be able to find her home now; ignoring all the previous signs that hinted otherwise. Upon reaching it, however, she was surprised to find, not her home, but the form of a young man sleeping against the trunk of the tree. Noticing the arrow protruding from this shoulder, she hesitantly began to approach him.

_Please don't be dead…please don't be dead._

"Hello? Are you alright?" Edging closer when she didn't get a response, Kagome took note of the boy's red-stained traditional dress and his unnaturally long, silver hair. Immediately, she felt compelled to run her fingers through his tresses.

_I wonder if it is as soft as it looks…_

At the first stroke through his hair, she was in disbelief. By the second pass, she'd become envious that a _boy_ should have such _nice_ hair. Prepared to make a third turn, Kagome lifted her hand only to pause at the sound of a gruff voice coming from the form in front of her.

"You will cease assaulting This Sesshoumaru's person any further."

**A/N: Surprise! By now, some of you might be seeing where I'm going with this...but you might be surprised. All I can say - without revealing my evil plans for this story - is how intriguing I've found it to think if _one_ simple fact about the 'Inuyasha' narrative changed, how could the rest of the story unfold to accommodate it? All I ask is that you stick with me in this experiment because I think things are going to get interesting... Reviews and suggestions welcome! Also, virtual cupcakes {|] to the fellow geek(s) that catch where the inspiration from the chapter titles comes from.**

**Much love my Darlings,**

***Sabra Jane***


	2. Ch2: Nothing Will Ever Be The Same Pt1

**Chapter 2: Nothing Will Ever Be the Same [Part 1]**

_He talked! He's alive after all!_

Hand falling to lie limply at her side, Kagome abashedly raised her eyes to meet those of 'This Sesshoumaru' person. With a gasp, Kagome could only gape at his piercing, golden eyes. He said something else, but she was still too enthralled with his eyes to register it.

"Are you simple, girl?"

The question, punctuated with an annoyed, animalistic growl, really got her attention. As she refocused her gaze, she let out the first response her frazzled brain could come up with: "Huh?"

With a condescending 'tsk' of his tongue, Sesshoumaru turned his head to survey the surrounding forest while simultaneously reaching his clawed hand up to pull at the decayed arrow in his torso. When purifying shocks met his attempts at its removal, his attention fell momentarily to the decayed arrow before turning to the girl before him. The sharpness in his eyes increased with his anger. "Remove your arrow now priestess or your death at This One claws will not be swift. Such is the punishment deserving of my brother's twisted Priestess Kikyo that dared attempt to kill This Sesshoumaru. "

Kagome, initially confounded at the power of an obviously rotten arrow shaft, was quickly able to shift toward indignant anger at his threatening accusation.

_He thinks I did this?! And what's with the royal referral?_

"I don't know who you think you are, mister, thinking death threats are going to get me to help you; especially when I haven't even done anything! I don't know who this Kikyo person is, but I'm not…"

"Prepare yourself."

Just then, a crash reverberated through the tree line. Whipping her head to the side, Kagome watched in mild horror as the centipede creature that had pulled her into the well began to charge at her.

_Oh, no. Not her again!_

Kagome instinctively drove to the side, barely evading the monster's strike. Before she could panic about how she could get away from this creature again, thundering hoof beats and shouting signaled the arrival of help as a number of men armed with bows and spears began to attack the demon en masse. The exception of their rescue party being that of an old woman dressed as a shinto priestess.

_I'm saved! By more people in traditional dress…and…are those...top knots?_

"You've grown useless, priestess."

At that quip, Kagome turned her attention to her rude acquaintance that she had promptly forgotten in all the excitement. Stomping back up to him, she dared to poke him squarely in the middle of his chest to add emphasis to her next words. "Again with that 'Kikyo' thing? Like I was trying to tell you, I am not her! My name is Kagome. Ka-go-me! As soon as the last syllable of her name passed her lips, Kagome felt herself be grabbed from behind. The centipede demon she thought had been restrained now had a hold of her! Mechanically, she reached for anything to hold onto to prevent herself from being completely taken away.

Unfortunately for Sesshoumaru, the first thing she grabbed was the collar of his blood-stained kosode. Growling the words through his teeth, Sesshoumaru spoke against her futile attempt to save herself. "Remove your hold, now, girl."

A humorless chortle vibrated through Kagome as the centipede demon began to speak. "Ah, the exalted Sesshoumaru! The full-blooded son of the Inu no Taisho, rendered helpless. Ha! Wait your turn, dog. Once I have gained my full power, you will be the first to die. Now, hand me the Sacred Jewel." Directed at Kagome, the demon screeched the last sentence for all to hear as she squeezed Kagome tighter within her grip.

"No!" Kagome grasped at the set of arms surrounding her middle with one hand and flung the other to ward off the demon's approaching maw. Abruptly, pink light flashed and highlighted the forest's occupants. Gasps filled the clearing, including a speculative 'hnn.' Landing on her back, Kagome stared – stunned – as she glanced between the severed arms of the monster, and her normal-looking palms.

_How am I able to do that?_

After a few moments, the contemplative silence that had fallen on all those present was broken with an indignant yell.

"How dare you!"


	3. Ch3: Nothing Will Ever Be The Same Pt2

**Chapter 3: Nothing Will Ever Be the Same [Part 2]**

This time, Kagome was unable to find a way to evade the attack, as the now armless centipede demon desperately charged toward Kagome a third time. She winced as she felt a sharp pain pierce her left side. As she was flung back toward the tree, Kagome watched a shining, pink bauble slip from her wound and bounce away. She scrambled toward where the pink orb rolled to a stop.

"The jewel. Relinquish your possession of it to This Sesshoumaru. Your hold on it will only tarnish it."

However, before Kagome could intercept it, the centipede demon chose that time to coil her long body around Kagome and the tree to effectively pin her against Sesshoumaru.

_Can't this thing just give it a rest already?!_

Kagome grasped at Sesshoumaru, wheezing as the demon began to tighten her coiled hold on them. Sesshoumaru glanced at her boredly before looking beyond her shoulder – giving the impression that he considered the situation no different than being plagued by butterflies. "She has swallowed it." A loud screech followed his statement along with a further constricting of the thing's body wrapped around her. Whimpering at the pressure, she vocalized her panic, "I'm trapped! I can't get out!"

"Are you so eager for death, girl? Merely pull out the arrow to release This Sesshoumaru from the seal and he shall dispatch the offensive creature for you."

Hearing his request, the elderly priestess yelled to Kagome across the clearing, desperation filling her face and hardening her frame, "No child! If you release him he will kill us all!"

Wincing as the metameric creature tightened her hold even further, Kagome felt she would pop like a balloon if nothing was done. Feeling desperate, Kagome strained to reach the end of the wooden shaft. She was certain that she had no other choice but to free him if she wished to get out of this situation alive. Once she had a solid hold of it, she caught Sesshoumaru's gaze. "I'll hold you to your word."

Then, with a concentrated pull, the wooden shaft disintegrated in her hands with another flash of pink light. As the light faded, a sadistic smile curled in the corner of Sesshoumaru's mouth, shadowing his face, as his previously sealed aura began to thrum out in waves – increasing in intensity until the full scale of his power flared and snapped back into him like a rubber band. Suddenly, fur exploded from behind him and curled over the front of his shoulder; and colors bled through the skin of his face, forming stripes on his cheeks, above his eyes, and a crescent moon in the middle of his forehead. Holding his claws up to his field of vision, he cracked them experimentally before glaring at the demon. "Now, you will die."

Kagome watched in equal parts awe and horror as Sesshoumaru swiftly clawed through the body that surrounded them, and began a deathly dance as he produced a green light from his fingers and proceeded to slice the creature into hundreds of pieces with relative ease. As the remains settled, Kagome blanched at the bits of flesh that covered her from head to toe.

As she scrambled to brush off some of the bigger pieces that had managed to land on her school uniform, the elder priestess had begun to shuffle her way over to Kagome. Gesturing with her bow arm to the field of demon gore she addressed her. "Do not hesitate, child. Look for where the remains glow. Stop the creature from regenerating itself."

_Eww! It could come back, after all that? No way! _With a breath to steady herself, she told herself to focus. _Okay. Okay. I can do this…Look for where it glows?_

Kagome spun in a slow circle, keeping an eye out for the pinkish glow she knew the Sacred Jewel gave off. Catching a faint flicker at the bottom of a particular, wiggling piece of torso she brought the priestess' attention to it. _"_There. That piece there."

Bending down, bones slightly popping at the action, the old woman reached and plucked the jewel out. Once she did, the remains instantly decayed till only bones were left. "I am Kaede." Extending her arm out, she offered the trinket to Kagome. "And this belongs with ye."

With great hesitancy, Kagome opened her hand to take it. As the weight of responsibility fell into her possession, Sesshoumaru's clear baritone reached out to her. "Indeed, you are as you claim: you are not the Priestess Kikyo. Your scent is variably different, yet you hold similar power." Sesshoumaru stalked closer to the two women. "This One holds no quarrel with you, girl, and he does not like to repeat himself. The Jewel, now, or he will take it by force."

At the threat that he now posed to them, Kaede reached into the folds of her white kosode and quietly muttered to herself, "I knew it might come to this – that other lengths might be required." Charmed beads magically flew from her hand, making a bee-line to the oppressive male. As the beads neared his neck, without blinking an eye, Sesshoumaru flared out his aura. Kaede stared in dismay as the small show of power rendered the beads' magic null and void, and they fell to the ground useless.

"You cannot collar This Sesshoumaru. Any attempts to subjugate him are futile."


	4. Ch4: I've Got to Keep Control

**Chapter 4: I've Got to Keep Control**

Quelling the natural instinct to run, Kagome daringly stepped in between Sesshoumaru and Kaede, and lifted her hands toward them in a placating gesture, "Whoa, okay, wait a second!" Attention going first to the aged woman with the eye patch over her right eye, Kagome began her attempt at easing the tense atmosphere with a, somewhat, third-party analysis on the situation. "Kaede-san, he did just save me—us—from that demon bug _thing._ Surely we can try to look at this objectively, rather than reacting in a defensive form of offense?"

When she was met with a confused, blank stare from the woman, she then turned her attention toward the regal-looking demon—for at this point she couldn't imagine labeling him as anything else. "And you! As grateful as I am, there's no way I'm just gonna give this thing to you; not after I saw what the power of this thing does in the possession of a demon! Besides, you are awfully powerful on your own. What use could you have with it, when you don't need it?"

Warily eyeing Kagome's open palms he replied, "This Sesshoumaru does not seek the power of the jewel for himself."

When it became apparent no further reasoning on his behalf was forthcoming, a heavy silence fell over them. Kagome, fidgeting at the awkwardness and the weight of her audience's scrutiny, let out an unsettled laugh before making her last effort to diffuse the situation. "That's great, I guess… So, then, can we discuss this—uh—diplomatically?"

A few more silent moments passed until Kaede's form slowly lost some of its edge until she faced Sesshoumaru once again wearing an earnest, almost contrite expression, "The child speaks wisely. If ye be an honorable demon, Sesshoumaru-sama and speak true, then I apologize for my hasty transgression. Many years have passed in thy absence and the world has changed much. I humbly request ye to listen to my counsel; ye might find we be on the same side if the concern you hold is for thy brother."

At the mention of his brother, Sesshoumaru whipped his head around—silver hair flowing over his shoulders with the movement—to sharply glare at the old priestess. The coldness of his stare then turned contemplative, calculating. After a few moments, and a quick flick to Kagome from the corner of his eye, he let out a slight 'hnn' sound from the column of his throat in response.

Taking the noise to mean 'yes,' Kagome let her arms and shoulders drop in relief as she released a huge sigh. Her novice attempt at diplomacy had been successful and she had managed to avoid being killed, again. _'At least for now,'_ she thought pessimistically as she gripped the pink-hued jewel tighter within her sweaty grasp.

Watching as the male demon now speculatively eyed the armed villagers, Kaede turned to the men that had remained stationed in a defensive circle, waved a trembling hand at them and sternly ordered: "Return to the village. Any immediate threat has been dealt with. You are no longer needed here." Apprehensive murmuring broke out between them as they regarded Sesshoumaru's presence. Kaede followed with an encouraging statement of: "Go, I shall follow." With some hesitation, the men finally began to leave—the clinking of their weapons accompanying the sound of their footfalls as they departed the forest.

Returning her attention to Sesshoumaru, in a level, but soft voice she then said, "If ye be willing, Sesshoumaru-sama, let us talk in my hut; there Kagome-san might be allowed to clean herself up and get her wound seen to."

Kagome quickly looked down to her side, startled that she had forgotten about it, and began inspecting the bloody gash with probing fingers. Sesshoumaru observed the two humans with an expression of mild distaste before rumbling out an indifferent, "Very well."


	5. Ch5: Madness Takes Its Toll

**Chapter 5: Madness Takes Its Toll**

"Ouch!"

"I'm just about finished dressing thy wound. Remain still."

Kagome mumbled out a quiet 'thank you' before looking over her shoulder, once again, to glance at the demon who stoically sat in the corner of the hut with eyes closed and hands folded into the sleeves of his now pristine silken robe. She kept looking back at him to assure herself that he was, in fact, still there despite all her other senses telling her otherwise. It felt unnatural, almost unsettling, to Kagome for someone to be capable of being so still that they almost became invisible. If she hadn't realized it earlier, especially after the whole event with the centipede demon in the forest, then she'd listen now to what her instincts had been clamoring at her to acknowledge: he was _dangerous_.

Kagome was broken from the silence of her reverie by an announcement of, "There now, all done." Before she could blink, Kagome was then shepherded back behind the privacy screen to change into the set of priestess robes that Kaede had pushed impatiently into her arms.

"Go ahead and change into these, child. Then, we'll talk."

***xXx*xXx*xXx*xXx***

"Now, let me take a better look at ye."

As soon she took her spot on the floor once again, Kaede roughly grabbed her by the chin and tugged her face toward Kaede's more wrinkled one. Carelessly tilting her face this way and that, the elder priestess squinted her eyes and made senseless noises as she began muttering and bobbing her head. "Aye, now that you wear the garb of a priestess you do hold a remarkable likeness to Kikyo."

The large pot over the fire began to audibly boil beneath the wooden lid that covered it. "Ah," she exclaimed. Removing the lid, Kaede ladled the hearty soup into two wooden bowls and handed one to Kagome with a short grunt before helping herself to the contents of the other.

"This must be a lot for ye to take in, child; especially in addition to this time of war and destruction we live in."

Kagome gaped in stupefaction at the reminder of where—perhaps when—she was. Despite the fact she and her brother were raised on their grandfather's tales about a time in our history when demons walked freely among humans, an understandable consequence of growing up in a shrine, Kagome had only ever listened to them with half an ear because they were just that: fairy tales. The reality that had been laid before her over the past few hours, and finally nailed home to her just now, was almost too fantastical.

"I guess that means this isn't Tokyo then, uh?"

"'Tokyo?' Is that where ye are from? I've never heard of it…"

"It is, yes." With a wistful sigh she added, "I'd actually like to find my way back home, soon—if I can…"

Eyes downcast, Kagome resumed consuming her dinner, appreciating the comforting warmth and crackle of the fire before her. A few more minutes of shared silence passed—with Sesshoumaru seemingly ignoring them and Kaede taking more time to mull over her thoughts.

"I do not recall Kikyo having an older sister."

Kagome jolted in her seat, surprised at the unexpected comment from the otherwise taciturn male. Another quick peek at him from the side revealed his eyes to now be open and staring intently at the elder woman.

"Ah, that brings me to my next topic, young lord. Ye be correct in your recollection, for I am Kaede, _younger_ sister to the Priestess Kikyo. Fifty years have passed since my sister sealed ye to the tree, and thus have grown old."

"You humans," he said haughtily, easing a hand out of his sleeve to wave it nonchalantly at them, "so fragile to the passing of time. No doubt it was thus which caused your sister to relinquish her sacred duties."

"Nay, she died the same day she sealed ye. Afterwards, we fulfilled her final request to burn the jewel with her body. What's more, that is why I am now assured that ye, Kagome, are the reincarnation of my sister, and it is not just because you resemble her or the comparable power you released back at the forest, but because the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls was housed in your body. From this moment forward, it is now your duty to oversee its protection. You must remain vigilant since the Sacred Jewel has, once again, returned to this world and there will be many others who will seek out its power."

"Like the lady centipede demon from earlier…"

"Aye. And those of greater power as well. However, it won't just be demons coming after it, but humans too; whose hearts are dark and are attracted by the jewel's promises toward realizing their evil ambitions."

Encouraged by his lapse in reticent behavior, Kagome tentatively met Sesshoumaru's gaze and voiced a question she had been ruminating over ever since he made his first demand for the jewel. "Speaking of ambitions, why do you want the jewel if not for its power?"

It was Kaede, not Sesshoumaru, who answered. "Ah, but Sesshoumaru was not the son to whom the lands and title belonging to his late father passed to."

Immediately, the sensation of static electricity filled the hut raising the hairs on Kagome's arms. At the subsequent rumbling growl that vibrated through the floor, she couldn't help the protective hunch of her shoulders as she braced in preparation to face the full extent of his anger. Kaede had obviously touched a nerve with her comment.

"Do not speak of what you do not understand. This Sesshoumaru's reasons are his own." He then stood with fluid grace and a slight rustling of silk, and glided toward the hut's only door. Just as he was lifting the woven flap that covered the opening, he paused at Kaede's stern voice.

"Be cautious venturing out there, young Lord. As I have said, the world has changed from the one ye knew fifty years ago."

Without so much as a grunt in acknowledgement, he stepped out into the night and disappeared behind the swaying door covering.

Kagome stared at the hypnotic swishing of the mat that marked his departure. Now that all of the tension seemed to have followed him out of the hut, she shakily took a deep breath. Releasing the air in a relieved 'whoosh,' she turned her full attention back to Kaede. "Is he gone? For good?"

Kaede let out an amused chuckle at Kagome's curious, albeit hopeful, facial expression. "Nay, child. Though I may have prodded at his pride, there be no doubt he will return. Me thinks he has just gone out to hunt."

Kagome blanched at the image that sprang to mind at the idea. "Hunt?"

The woman nodded her head sagely as she stood on creaky knees and began moving around the hut to prepare sleeping pallets for the two of them. "Ye would be hungry too for going without sustenance for so long." Stopping in her actions to meet Kagome's incredulous gaze she added, "Sesshoumaru is an Inu-youkai and therefore requires meat to help sustain his power. Consuming human food would do as much for him as only eating rice would do for us." At the girl's nod in understanding, Kaede resumed her preparations.

_ 'So, that guy's really a dog?'_

***xXx*xXx*xXx*xXx***

Later that night, Kagome finally settled herself onto the worn pallet the old priestess had designated for her use. Under the relative safety of the covers she gently toyed with the small jewel, rolling it between her fingers, as it hung on a new necklace draped around her neck. Here, in the muted silence that was occasionally broken by Kaede's light snoring and the intermittent chirps of cricket song, Kagome finally allowed herself to contemplate the events of her day.

What had started as a fantastical vision of the past had turned into an unsettling and unsuspecting reality that promised great adventures: adventures she frankly wanted nothing to do with. _'Demons, Priestesses, and Sacred Jewels. What a way to spend a birthday…' _

With a muffled yawn, and a silent vow that she'd start looking for a way back home tomorrow, she curled herself into a comfortable position and promptly fell asleep.


End file.
